With increased availability of water this season, 80% of the city is being covered with regular water supply and only 20%, mostly comprising Zone I, is affected because of the drying up of Gambhiram and Mudasarlova reservoirs and the Gosthani river, Municipal Commissioner M. Hari Narayanan has said.
In the Zone I area, water is being supplied either on alternate days or stopped for a day after supply for two days, he told reporters here on Saturday. Reverse pumping of water from Town Service Resevoir (TSR) is resorted to supply water to Zone I area from Kommadi.
The rest of the city is getting supply of 45 minutes and per capita of 90 to 110 litres. In Arilova and Bhimili, water supply was being made on alternate days and in Bhimili 5.5 MLD water was being given by digging 10 new borewells. In Aganampudi, because the 85 MLD plant was ready water was being given to 11 of the 18 service reservoirs from it.
What made the difference was the increase in supply from Yeleru reservoir from 70 to 120 MGD, a 75 % increase compared to last year, resulting in GVMC utilising 40 MGD instead of 20 to 25 MGD in the past. Instead of the 30 MGD given in the past in summer, the Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Company (VIWSCO) was now able to increase it considerably to 55 to 60 MGD to Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. With the increased availability, the VSP was able to go in for second reservoir.
With a level of 79.33 metres and 13 metres, Yeleru reservoir and the Godavari would be in a position to sustain supply till December, he said. Thatipudi reservoir would sustain supply up to August 12. Raiwada reservoir would sustain up to May 14 after which pumping from dead storage would be taken up for 55 days spending ₹1.96 crore.
The Commissioner said the summer situation was estimated in September itself and old Raiwada pipeline to MGR was revived spending ₹1 crore and 16 MGD was being pumped into it resulting in it having a surplus of 8 MGD. Its sustainability is estimated up to June 14 and it would further increase.
With advance planning, VISCOW and GVMC were doing their best and the supply would be continued till June, Mr. Hari Narayanan said. In areas that suffered because of lack of pressure, 75 tankers were making 398 trips with ₹1.81 crore earmarked in the ₹4.93 crore summer action plan.
The only problem was owing to low rainfall during the current water year, the groundwater table did not improve.
Water Balance Diagram
For the first time because of the availability of water from Yeleru surplus water has become available. In future, water balance diagram would be prepared to link reservoirs and tanks in residential areas to use the surplus water and improve groundwater table, the Commissioner said.
The proposals include linking Padmanabhapuram reservoir to Mudarsarlova, Aganampudi to TSR and Sundarayya Colony to Malkapuarm.
Mr. Hari Narayanan said the hospitals in the Health City were given the last opportunity of one month’s time to go in for bulk water connection after complaints that their deep borewells was drying up residential borewells in the area.
